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A total of $9.3 billion has been disbursed by the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund to aid in the implementation of several developmental projects across Jamaica over its 10 years of operation. This was disclosed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fund, Billy Heaven, at a JIS Think Tank held on Wednesday, March 13, at the...

Some 3,287 students at 26 all-age and primary schools islandwide are now enjoying improved sanitary conveniences, following upgrading work by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), at a cost of $177.6 million. Improvement works carried out under phase one of JSIF’s Sanitation for Schools project, entailed construction of new sanitation blocks, equipped with septic tanks; toilets; urinals; and ramp ways...

Jamaica is stepping up food safety measures for the benefit of the domestic market, and in compliance with North American and European food importation regulations. The latest move is Cabinet’s approval of the National Food Safety Policy, and plans for its implementation. Cabinet has also given the nod for the drafting of food safety legislation to reflect the Policy; and...

Minister of Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, says the Government is looking at ways to prevent any possible fall-out that lottery scamming may cause in the telemarketing industry. “It is something that we are very concerned about and what we have to do is make sure that we are in constant dialogue with our investors. I believe that all...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade will receive a boost to its fleet, following the signing of a contract for the procurement of three brand new fire trucks. These units are being acquired at a cost of US$1.35 million and are expected to be added to the company’s fleet within the next eight months. The contract was signed on Wednesday, March 13,...

Come April 1, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) will commence a new vendor registration exercise in the Corporate Area. Making the disclosure during a KSAC Council meeting at its Church Street chambers in downtown Kingston on March 12, Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Angela Brown Burke, informed that the registration process serves as an important planning tool. “(It) helps...

The Senate has approved Regulations facilitating the placement of spikes on the toll road off ramps, in an effort to deter motorists from reversing onto the road. Tyre deflation devices, or spikes, are used to impede or stop the movement of vehicles by puncturing their tyres. Opening the debate on Friday, March 8, Justice Minister, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding,...

Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Stephen Vasciannie, will deliver the keynote address at the third annual Jamaican American Bar Association (JABA) Awards and Scholarship Gala, in New York, on Saturday, March 16. In addition to benefiting students attending law school in Jamaica and the United States, money raised from the event will go towards establishing a Jamaican Legal...

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, says Jamaica has made significant progress towards the full empowerment of women since independence. “We have elected a female Prime Minister, which means that we have broken the glass ceiling at the highest level of political leadership,” she said, noting that several key positions in the public service, such as...

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, says the Government is committed to continuing the empowerment of the nation’s women and girls, through increased access to information. “The government fully supports access to information and liberalisation of information flows, particularly critical scientific and technical information. We believe that women stand to benefit more from this open access....

The Universal Service Fund (USF) is reporting collections of more than $9.7 billion as at February 5, 2013. The funds, generated from incoming telephone calls, will be utilised to accelerate the deployment of broadband services islandwide, in keeping with Government’s efforts to enable more Jamaicans to access Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This includes the creation of an ICT platform...

Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, on Tuesday, March 5, met with over 100 church leaders across varying denominations to discuss the country’s Economic Reform Programme and to seek their input. The Prime Minister told the leaders, at the meeting held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, “throughout our history, in times of crisis, we have...